In Italy, the country where fascism was born, we have a particular relation with the Holocaust, but as a turning point in history it belongs to everybody in the world. It is a part of humanity.
Roberto BenigniRead
When I was a little boy, I was reading Dante and I was saying to myself 'Bravo, Dante, Bravo.' It's so beautiful, the music, the sound, the meaning. I felt like calling him by phone, like a friend.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Appreciation of art can create a deep personal connection with the artist and their work.
In this quote, Roberto Benigni reflects on his childhood experience of reading Dante's work and feeling a profound connection to the beauty of the literature. The way he describes his admiration shows how art can evoke strong emotions and a sense of friendship with its creator, highlighting the intimate bond between an artist and their audience through the shared experience of art.
Themes
DanteBeautyArtLiteratureConnection
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about the impact of art on personal growth.
More from Roberto Benigni
All quotes →Only comedians can talk about death, life, God and Virgin Mary. If I was a tragic actor, I couldn't allow myself. But with this accent I can do it. I can talk with death in person because I am a clown. Yes. And I am proud to be a clown - very much.
Roberto BenigniRead
I'm a storyteller: the crux of the matter is to reach beauty, poetry; it doesn't matter if that is comedy or tragedy. They're the same if you reach the beauty.
Roberto BenigniRead
When we talk to somebody and we want to be nice or polite or show our more beautiful side, we try to use the best words that we know. This is what poets are doing. They are cleaning the words, they are inventing the sentiments, they are giving us a way to communicate.
Roberto BenigniRead
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